It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

“Let it be recorded that at 3:05 p.m. ET on February 16, mock conservative commentator Stephen Colbert passed Buddy Roemer, the former congressman, governor of Louisiana and bona fide presidential candidate, as the sixth most popular ‘draft candidate’ of Americans Elect.” — Jonathan Tilove, New Orleans Times-Picayune

It’s bad news for a politician when he is outpolled by an entity that exists only as satire. But neither Colbert nor Roemer is in a strong position in the Americans Elect presidential draft.

Stephen Colbert, being a political outsider, must under the Americans Elect rules obtain 5,000 votes supporting his candidacy in each of 10 states in order to get on the ballot.

Buddy Roemer, being a political insider, has to get fewer votes of support to qualify for the Americans Elect ballot. (You’ll have to ask Americans Elect why insiderism is so important.) Roemer needs just 1,000 votes of support in each of 10 states. But as his vote total to date reveals, he’s not close to reaching his goal either.

These counts aren’t occurring hours into the voting process. They’re the vote counts more than two weeks into the voting process. At this rate, Stephen Colbert and Buddy Roemer will qualify for the 2012 Americans Elect presidential ballot some time between Inauguration Day 2013 and Election Day 2016…

… and they’re among the ten Americans Elect draft candidates getting the most votes. An electoral tsunami this is not.

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